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KF Tirana is an Albanian football club based in the country's capital city, Tiranë. The men's football club is part of the multi-disciplinary sports club SK Tirana, and is the most successful in Albania, having won 49 recognized major trophies. They play their home games at the Qemal Stafa stadium and the Selman Stërmasi Stadium in Tiranë and they compete in Albania's highest tier of football, the Albanian Superliga.
The club was founded on 16 August 1920 as Shoqata Sportive Agimi, which translates to the Agimi Sports Association, and they have since participated in all the top tier national championships ever held in Albania, making them the only club in Albania to have never been relegated.[2] They have competed under the name of SK Tirana between 1927 and 1947, before renaming to 17 Nëntori Tirana, Puna Tirana and KS 17 Nëntori, which was the name of the club until 1991 when it was divided into two branches, the multi disciplinary SK Tirana and the football branch of KF Tirana.
KF Tirana is also the most successful Albanian team in European competitions, having progressed from the first rounds on 11 occasions since making their European debut in the 1965–66 European Cup. The club also holds the record of being the highest ever ranking Albanian club according to IFFHS, having been ranked 31st in the world in 1987, as a result of the success in their 1986-87 campaign. KF Tirana is also an ECA member.[3]
Although still an unofficial even in Albanian footballing history, in 2012 historians revealed what is believed to be the first ever competitive football tournament in the country which took place in Fier between the 7th and 14 April 1911. The tournament featured 8 teams and was played in a one-legged format, similar to that of other European competitions at the time. The city of Tirana was represented what is believed to be the predecessor of KF Tirana, and in their first game on 7 April 1991 against Elbasani they won 9-4 to progress to the semifinals, where they defeated Kavaja 4-0 to reach the final. The final was held on 14 April and was contested between Tirana and Peqini, and ended 6-1 to Tirana, making them Albania's first ever champions, although this is still not officially recognised by the Albanian Football Association.[4]
On 16 August 1920, shortly after Tiranë became the capital city of Albania, patriot and football enthusiast Palok Nika along with A. Erebara, P. Jakova, A. Hoxha, Anastas Koja, P. Berisha, Avni Zajmi, H. Fortuzi, B. Pazari, L. Berisha, S. Frasheri, H. Alizoti, A. Gjitomi and V. Fekeci founded the Agimi Sports Association, who took its name from the Agimi building in the centre of Tiranë where they would hold near meetings near to. The club was formed as a multi disciplinary one, but the emphasis on football was far greater than that of other sports. In October of the same year the club played its first ever football match at Shallvare in the centre of Tiranë against Juventus Shkodër, which was a selection of players from Bashkimi Shkodran, modern day Vllaznia Shkodër.
In 1925 the association's governing council was elected and its members were Avni Zajmi, Selman Stërmasi, B. Toptani, Irfan Gjinali and Anastas Koja. Shortly after in the same year, the club played its first international match against Yugoslav team Crnogorac Cetinje from Montenegro. On 16 August 1927, which was the seventh anniversary of the formation of the Agimi Sports Association, Stërmasi, Erebara, Zajmi and Koja changed the club's name to Sportklub Tiranë, which would be commonly referred to as SK Tiranë.[5]
With the formation of the Albanian Football Association on 6 June 1930 came the first officially recognised football competition held in Albania, which was the 1930 National Championship, of which SK Tiranë had enrolled in. The club's reached the championship final after winning 5 games, drawing 4 and losing just one, to finish joint top along with Skënderbeu Korçë, albeit with a slightly better goal difference. The championship final games were due to be played on 26 June and 6 July respectively, but Skënderbeu Korçë forfeited both games by refusing to play which was a sign of protest against the bias of the competition and the Albanian Football Association towards the SK Tiranë. The club were awarded both games 2-0, thus crowning them the first champions of Albania who's winning team consisted of Rudolf Gurashi, Abdullah Shehri, Irfan Gjinali, Xhelal Kashari, Vasil Kajano, Gjon Sabati, Llazar Miha, Mark Gurashi, Bexhet Jolldashi, Shefqet Ndroqi, Isuf Dashi, Adem Karapici, Hysen Kusi, Mustafa Begolli, Hilmi Kosova, Emil Hajnali, Rexhep Maçi and Selman Stërmasi as player-manager. Maçi and Hainali were also won the inaugural golden boot for being the joint top goal scorers with 3 goals apiece.[6] As multi-disciplinary club, this was the second national championship that was won, as the athletics team had won the national championship a year earlier in 1929.
The following season the club introduced former Fenerbahçe goalkeeper Vasfi Samimi into the team, who had represented Sportklub Vlorë the previous season, who also joined with other new players who were Sabit Çoku, Muhamet Agolli and Halim Begeja. The Albanian Football Association decided to alter the format of the championship as they divided the teams into two groups, with SK Tiranë being placed in Group A along with Sportklub Vlorë and Bashkimi Shkodran. They played four games, winning two, drawing one and losing one, to finish top of the group level on points with Bashkimi Shkodran but still won the group due to a superior goal difference. The club met Group B winners Teuta Durrës in the championship final, who they drew 1-1 to at home at Shallvare in a notable game. SK Tiranë had opened the scoring and taken the lead through a Mark Gurashi goal, before Teuta Durrës' goalkeeper Niko Dovana instructed one one of the forwards to cover for him in goal as he went to play as a forward, and with a shot on goal he scored and equalised. His goal led to mass media coverage, with many Albanian football fans fascinated by the sight of the goalkeeper playing as a forward and scoring. SK Tiranë complained to the Albanian Football Association on the grounds that a registered goalkeeper cannot play as an outfield player,[7] but these complaints were not heard and the second leg of the tie was played a week later on 5 July 1931 in Durrës, which SK Tiranë won comfortably 3-0 to win 4-1 on aggregate and to regain the National Championship.
The Albanian Football Association once again changed the format of the championship and opted for a five team league format, where every club would play each other twice and the winner would be decided by who finished top of the league, and not a championship final. SK Tiranë went unbeaten throughout the season, with five wins and three draws to their name, including emphatic 6-0 wins over Urani Elbasan and Teuta Durrës respectively and a 9-2 away win once again against Urani Elbasan. The club were crowned Albanian champions for a third consecutive season, which further cemented their place in history as the first club to dominate football in Albania.
The 1933 National Championship proved to be less fruitful for the club, as they missed out on a fourth consecutive title, finishing in a disappointing third place out of six, behind Bashkimi Shkodran and the winners Skënderbeu Korçë.[8] However, they bounced back firmly in the 1934 National Championship, finishing five points ahead of runners-up Skënderbeu Korçë in a seven team format. They won a total of ten games out of twelve, which included 9-0 wins over Teuta Durrës and Bashkimi Elbasanas respectively, as well as an 8-0 win over Sportklub Vlorë, with Mark Gurashi being named the top goalscorer with 12 goals.[9] The following year there was no official competition held by the Albanian Football Association, so only friendly games were played.
In 1936 the National Championship returned and SK Tiranë regained their title with a two point difference between them and runners-up Vllaznia Shkodër.[10] The ethnic-Albanian forward from Yugoslavia Riza Lushta was the top goalscorer with 11 goals scored in the campaign. The following season the club once again won the National Championship, with Vllaznia Shkodër coming in second place, and Riza Lushta being named the top goalscorer, this time with a record 25 goals.[11] This was the last pre-World War II competition held by the Albanian Football Association as there was no championship held in 1938 and World War II broke out in 1939.
In 1939 following the Dragoj Pogradeci who they defeated 7-0 in the first leg, with Zyber Lisi opening the scoring in the 7th minute before Naim Kryeziu netted 5 goals in the 8th, 35th, 68th, 81st and 89th minutes, with Zyber Lisi finding the net once again in the 85th minute. SK Tiraneë starting formation in the game consisted of previous championship winners Rudolf Gurashi, Sllave Llambi, Foto Janku, Hasan Maluçi, Hasan Balla, Zyber Lisi, Haki Korça, Naim Kryeziu and Mark Gurashi. They defeated Dragoj Pogradeci in the second leg to win 9-0 on aggregate and reach the semifinals against Skënderbeu Korçë, which was played on 6 August 1939. Mark Gurashi scored the opening goal of the game within 10 minutes, as SK Tiranë went on to win 3-0 and reach the final against Vllaznia Shkodër on 30 September. The final was played at the Shallvare in Tiranë, in the presence of many important figures in the National Fascist Party as well as important Albanian nobleman and figures which included Eqrem Vlora, Aleksandër Xhuvani, Anton Harapi, Dhimitër Beratti and Karl Gurakuqi.
The ruling fascist regime organised a similar competition the following year in 1940, this time in a group format where teams were divided into two groups based on geography location. Two of the club's most important players who had come from Kosovo had left Albania for Italy to join Bari and Roma respectively. They met Vllaznia Shkodër on 17 March in a memorable game which ended in a 2-2 draw, and where the fans left the ground at Shallvare following two stoppages due to players and staff fighting. The game had started positively with Skënder Gjinali opening the scoring in the 10th minute for Vllaznia, following an assist by Frederik Shkjezi. Vasif Biçaku then equalised four minutes later, before Zyber Lisi gave Sportklub Tiranë the lead in the 40th minute from a Skënder Begeja cross. However, Vllaznia levelled the scores just 60 seconds later through Met Vasija, following a combination of Muç Koxhja, Loro Boriçi and the goalscorer Vasija. On 31 March they met Elbasani at Shallvare in a thrilling game which saw the home side go 3-0 down through goals by Progri, Shefqet Lamçja and Kasapi in the 30th, 48th and 56th minute respectively. Sportklub Tiranë then scored a free kick through Vasif Biçaku in the 60th minute, to begin a comeback which saw three goals in three minutes, before Zyber Lisi scored the winner in the 85th minute. The rest of the campaign did not prove to be fruitful as Vllaznia finished top of the group ahead of Sportklub Tiranë and reached the championship finals, where they defeated Skënderbeu Korçë 11-1 on aggregate to win their first national championship, albeit one that is not recognised.
There was no competition held in 1941 but on 21 April of the same year, the foreign ministers of Italy and Germany met in Vienna and concluded that most of Kosovo should joined Albania to become what was known as the Kingdom of Albania under Victor Emmanuel III. In 1942 the national championship was held with the inclusion of three clubs from Kosovo, which were Prizreni, Peja and KF Prishtina. These clubs from Kosovo competed in the northern section along with the reigning champions Vllaznia Shkodër, and Sportklub Tiranë competed in the new middle section group and the southern clubs competed in their own group. In a bizarre ruling, only players born between 1921 and 1925 were allowed to participate in the competition, meaning that only players between the ages of 17 and 22 were allowed to play. However, this rule was not followed by most clubs and senior players did participate in the competition. Another rule was that all participants had to members of one of the youth fascist groups, but this was merely a formality as many players who were anti-fascist competed. Tirana defeated Elbasani 5-1 and drew 1-1 with Teuta Durrës to reach the semi final against Prizreni which was played in Tiranë over two legs on 26 and 27 June. During the first leg, Zyber Lisi opened the scoring through a 21st minute penalty before doubling the lead just 7 minutes later. Former SK Tirana player Skender Gjinali then scored for Prizreni on the 30th minute before Hasani equalised on the 81st minute and sent the game to extra time, but a winner could not be decided while led to a replay the following day. The scoring in the replay was opened by Akil Derani on the 17th minute, with Zyber Lisi scoring a minute later to make it 2-0 to the SK Tirana. Skender Gjinali scored a conciliation goal for Prizreni in the 76th minute but they could not equalise, and SK Tirana reached the final against Shkodra on 29 June. The final was played at the Shallvare and Shyqyri Bylyku opened the scoring for SK Tirana in the 65th minute before Pali equalised in the 90th minute. Italian referee Michele Carone then asked both sides to play extra time of two 15 minute halves but Shkodra refused to continue play without a concrete reason, although it has been suggested that the darkness was one of the reasons. Two days after the final had been played the match was awarded 2-0 to SK Tirana along with the title.[12][13]
The club won two out of the three National Championships that were held during AFA, but by the Fascist regime.[14]
After the war, KF Tirana made a good start reaching the second spot in 1945, after losing to Vllaznia Shkodër in the final. But soon the club would become a victim of the reigning communist regime in Albania. At the beginning of March 1946, at the "Nacional" movie theater in Tirana, as a result of instructions coming from the communist politburo, KF Tirana was forced to change its name to "17 Nentori". The club was thus denied its own name. The following decade would unroll in the same suffocating atmosphere, becoming even heavier after the foundation of two system-privileged teams that would follow the experiences of their sisters in the former USSR, former Yugoslavia, and the other eastern European countries: Partizani, the Defense Ministry team and Dinamo, the Internal Affairs Ministry team. Dozens of Tirana’s talented players were "convinced", against their will, to play for either Partizani or Dinamo. As a result "17 Nentori" struggled to stay at the top during the years 1947–1957, however the team managed to gain some of the lost groung during the second part of the 50's after replacing in part some of the first choice players of its line up.
From 1958 to 1964 Tirana kept on producing some good football and finishing the championship almost always at the third spot. These years were a prelude to what was about to happen later: Tirana reexperienced its pre-war glory spell under the services of the unforgettable coach Lym (Myslym) Alla. At the end of the 28th national championship Tirana became champions of Albania more than twenty years after their last title.
The team repeated the success the year after, but this was an obvious challenge to Partizani's generals and Dinamo's secret service bosses. After having practically won the 1966–1967 title three matches in advance, Tirana was banned from the competition and the title was assigned to Dinamo.[15][16]
After this, Tirana won the championship two years in a row in style, losing only two matches in 1968 and only one during the 1969–1970 season.[17]
During the seventies Tirana struggled hard to stay at the top, the best result being the second place and the worst the thirteenth. Yet the club won the national cup twice. The generation of older players came to the end pf their careers and this could only mark the end of a highly successful era. However the unsuccessful spell would not last long this time. Tirana won the championship at the end of the 1981–1982 season, and they went on to win the title three other times during the eighties, in 1984–1985, 1987–1988, and 1988–1989 and the Albanian Cup in 1983, 1984, and 1986. The club was also successful in the European club competitions and many of the team players made up the core of the best Albania the country had ever had.
During the first half of the nineties KF Tirana (which in August 1991 regained its old name), likewise the whole Albanian society, went through a period of profound changes. Almost all the best Albanian players left the country and went abroad looking for a richer team who could hire them. But it seems that the club simply could not stand being too long from the leading spots. Thus at the end of the 1994–1995 season, K. F. Tirana once again won the championship five matches in advance with 12 points ahead of the second placed team. During the recent years Tirana has dominated the Albanian football by winning 10 out of the last 18 Albania's championships.[18]
Even though KF Tirana has dominated through the last 20 years, since 2006 club have displayed instability in management, which has also reflected in the results. Several factors have affected negatively the presentation, not only in the domestic competitions, but also the international appearances.
Late preparations, late new players arrivals, even late new coach appointment gave the negative effects either in team consolidation, or poor performance in Europa League. Starting from 2-nd qualifying round, having drawn goalless first match home, Tirana suffered a 1–3 away loss against Slovakian opponent FC Spartak Trnava and were therefore knocked out early from the competition.[22]
12 October 2011 was another key event for club's future. The Municipality Council voted with unanimous consent the transformation of KF Tirana status to a shareholders association. Since then, the club is originally named as KF Tirana Sh.A (Shoqëri Aksionere). Municipality of Tirana will initially hold 100% of shares, however any future private sponsors or donors approaches to share stock would always be welcome.[23]
White and blues ended the League in the 3rd place, 5 points below crowned champions KF Skënderbeu Korçë, even though outstanding Spanish coach Julián Rubio had to re-create the squad twice, due to lack of players who left the club by late summer. Additionally, Tirana players and staff had to outface a temporary financial kink, caused from the latter club transformation to sh.a. which had negative influence in the limited number of quality players which approached from the market. At majority of the season coach Rubio had severe difficulties and wasn't able to even to create a proper official squad for a match! Nonetheless, despite all difficulties faced, Tirana finally ended the season in the best possible way earning 2 trophies out of 3, by also winning their 15th Cup trophy. Tirana won the final against their fierce rivals of last 2 seasons KF Skënderbeu Korçë, with Bekim Bala becoming again the key scorer, netting the winning goal at 107' at extra-time, since regular time ended goalless draw.[24]
Following this event and considering the fact that there was no European participation, club had all necessary time to organize well pre-seasonal preparations. Along with approaching the right players in the existing squad of last season and proper training project in Albania, a well prepared pre-seasonal training was organized for over 3 weeks in Ohrid, playing friendlies there and consolidate team further. Such well-planned project had not been seen for many years, perhaps since El Sayed era.
The typical kit of the team is that of a shirt with white and blue vertical stripes, and blue or white shorts and socks. The shirt has taken different forms during the history of the club, for example with thin or wider stripes. The second most common kit is the all-white one with blue shorts.
The club's first home ground was the Shallvare, located in the centre of Tiranë nearby the existing Shallvare block, which they acquired prior to their formation in 1920. The also field served as an amusement centre for the youth of Tiranë to enjoy, and it was a popular gathering place where various games were played during religious holidays.[28][29] Before its use as a football ground the site was use by the Ottoman garrison as a playground, and in 1916 it served as a runway for the Austrian-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops. The club played their first game at the Shallvare in 1920 against a team made up of the occupying Austrian-Hungarians. In 1925 there were changing rooms built at the ground, and in the early 1930s there was an athletics track built around the football pitch. The administrator of the ground was the football referee, Besim Hamdiu (Qorri), who only had one assistant in the maintenance of the ground.
The ground did not have a main stand or seating area for spectators, but rather a two storied building that was constructed in 1923 by a member of parliament Masar Kelliçi. The building stood 50 metres away from the football pitch and was located in line with the middle of the pitch, with its balcony facing the field and the Dajt mountains. The ground was also used for other sporting events as well as military parades, one of which the president and later king Ahmet Zogu attended in 1927.
The ground was destroyed in 1951 and Soviet-style apartment blocks were built onto of it.
The home ground of KF Tirana is Selman Stërmasi Stadium, which is shared with city rivals Dinamo Tirana and Partizani Tirana. However, most derby and significant matches are played at the national team's Qemal Stafa Stadium; the stadium is also used if the Selman Stërmasi Stadium is unavailable as it is used by three different teams. The club has expressed its desire to rebuild the current Selman Stërmasi Stadium into a modern complex with around 15,000 to 20,000 season. They want it to be Albania's first modern post-Communism stadium without an athletic track around the field, which they hope will provide more atmosphere and attract more fans. However, it has not yet been decided when this will be built but it is rumoured to be the club's 100th anniversary present in 2020.[30]
KF Tirana plays most of its official and friendly games at the Selman Stërmasi Stadium in Tirana. The Selman Stërmasi Stadium was built in 1956 and was previously named the 'Dinamo' Stadium till 1991 when it was permanently given its new name. The Football Association of Albania and the club decided to name the stadium post mortem after the eminent KF Tirana player, coach and president, Selman Stërmasi. The stadium has a capacity of 12,500 (of which 6000 seated) and has recently ended a long phase of construction, involving development of the main pitch, central seated area, facilities around the ground and general lineaments. There are still improvements expected to be made soon, as side seated areas, an electronic clock and a KF Tirana shopping centre just under central seated. The internal facilities include a press conference room, journalists' corner and modern showers. The main parking area is located at the front of the stadium, which leads to the entrance. The whole external part of the stadium is surrounded by a 2.7 M (9 ft) rail fence.[31]
The supporters of KF Tirana are organised in Trnava, Grevenmacher, etc. Tirona Fanatics are in close cooperation with Plisat of Pristina and Shvercerat of Shkupi and have also attended in many Albania National Football Team matches. Since creation, the fans number has been in a constant increase and new members are recruited every week.
FC Prishtina FK Shkupi
KF Tirana are regarded as the Albania's top football team having won:
*Including the Championships which are awaiting to be officially recognized from AFA.
Runners Up (1) – 1981.
In addition to being the best team in all domestic competitions, K.F. Tirana (Men) have also given the best performances in Europe among Albanian teams. Although Tirana have passed 11 times one European round, they have never gone further than that. However, white and blues hold the all-time record for the highest Malmö FF, Standard Liège, etc. In several occasions, respectable European names such as: FC Dinamo București, FC Dinamo Tbilisi, ND Gorica, NK Varteks, etc. have been eliminated from white and blues.
The best squad to compete in Europe was that of season 2004/05. After having easily passed FC Gomel of Belarus in the first round, Tirana played against Ferencvárosi TC in the second round. Having lost the first leg at home 2–3, KF Tirana produced fantastic football in Budapest and was leading 1–0, after which the team missed a penalty and the ball hit woodwork twice, but they just could not score the qualifying goal and therefore were eliminated with a 3–3 on aggregate.[33]
KF Tirana vs A.C. Milan. On 14 October 2008, KF Tirana and A.C. Milan took part, for the first time ever, in the "Taci Oil Albania Reads" project in Tirana. This new initiative had the goal to raise funds for the construction of new and modern libraries across Albania, a project launched by UNICEF. The proceeds of this event, sponsored by Taçi Oil helped to create 100 new libraries in Albanian schools, whilst also driving forward the improvement in learning, teaching and reading standards in schools. KF Tirana won the match 2–1.[34]
(As of 21 October 2013), Source: Bert Kassies website
(As of 29 January 2013), Source: IFFHS published 29 January 2013
(1 January 2001 – 31 December 2011), Source: IFFHS published 21 March 2012
For the reserve and academy squads, see KF Tirana Reserves and Academy
Recently, KF Tirana have established their reserve team which initially started to compete from the lowest category.
For details on former players, see Category:KF Tirana players.
KF Tirana has historically been managed and owned by one president. The only exception is during period of 2007–2008, when the presidency was vacant and club was managed by a number of sponsors. KF Tirana has had numerous presidents over the course of its history, most of which have also been the owners of the club, whilst others have only been honorific presidents such as Bamir Topi and Fatmir Frasheri. The club has had a total of 13 presidents, in total from 1920 until the present day. The most successful president in history is considered to be the Egyptian millionaire Metwally El Sayed who was president of the club during the period 1999–2004. The president who has had the longest management over the club has been Selman Stermasi who was owner and president from 1936 until 1960, whilst the president with the shortest management has been Fatmir Frasheri, who only lasted a single year from 2004–2005. Below is the official presidential history of KF Tirana, from when the club was formed, until the present day.[35]
Since the Kategoria superiore began in 1930, KF Tirana have played 1784 Superliga matches, scored 3021 goals and conceded 1614. The club has collected so far 2628 points, won 938 games, drawn 456 and lost 390. The club's goal difference is +1407 and the winning difference is +548.[36]
Data correct up to the end of the 2013–14 season.
(4 times or more)
KF Tirana, Partizani Tirana, Dinamo Tirana, Vllaznia, KF Skënderbeu Korçë
Albanian Superliga, KS Dinamo Tirana, KS Apolonia Fier, KS Gramozi Ersekë, 2010–11 UEFA Champions League
Albania, KF Tirana, Besa Kavajë, KS Elbasani, Flamurtari Vlorë
KF Tirana, Albania, Albania national football team, Tirana, Apollon Smyrni F.C.
England, Italy, Portugal, Juventus F.C., Hamburger SV
Romania, Italy, Real Madrid C.F., Spain, A.C. Milan